1. Field of the Invention
The following description relates to an aerogel insulating material and manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly to an aerogel insulating material consisting of an insulating layer containing aerogel particles; an adhesive-coating layer containing an inorganic solvent, thermoplastic elastomer and additive on both surfaces of the insulating layer; and a lamination film. The thermoplastic elastomer of the adhesive-coating layer may be made of ethylenevinyl acetate copolymer or polyurethane having a low glass transition temperature, and through this characteristic, it is possible to strengthen the adhesive and embody an insulating material insulating structure having excellent durability and low migration rate of the aerogel particles.
2. Description of Related Art
Aerogel is a compound word of air meaning air and gel meaning solidified liquid. Aerogel consists of silicon oxide (SiO2) threads each of which is 1/10,000 thick of a strand of hair sparsely tangled. Between each silicon oxide thread, there are air molecules which take up 98% of the total volume. The density of aerogel is approximately 0.003 g/m3, that is, 3 times the air density (0.001 g/m3), the lightest solid on earth.
The diameter of a hole in the aerogel is smaller than the average transition distance of an air particle, and thus the aerogel airtight, thereby effectively preventing heat conduction. The heat conductivity of the aerogel is so low that even when placed on a palm of a hand and fire flames of 1,000° C. or above are placed close to the palm, heat is not conducted very well. Furthermore, an advantage of aerogel is that it has a high intensity that even when an automobile is placed on top of 4 aerogels each having the size of a palm of a hand, the aerogel would not break. Hence, it is suitable as insulating material. Therefore, there are various application fields for aerogel, for examine, clothing and industrial insulating material etc.
When applying such aerogel to products, aerogel particles must be put inside capsules to prevent them from migration. For example, aerogel particles migrated from insulating material such as clothing are rather rough and thus may easily irritate human skin tissues, which is a problem. Several methods have been used for application in products, but conventional aerogel particles easily migrate, lack resistance against mechanical washing and drying, and are ineffective in insulating.
Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a technology which could prevent easy migration of aerogel particles when using products containing aerogel, thereby maintaining the low heat conductivity and low weight characteristics of the aerogel.